Holes on Jets offense continue to be glaring issue

Although their record doesn’t suggest it, the New York Jets have experienced some positives throughout a rebuilding 2017, but the team won’t continue to progress forward unless issues on the offensive side of the ball are fixed.

Given that the New York Jets are 5-10, it’s clear that changes and improvements need to be made to the team, but less of that attention should be put on the defense, which has kept Gang Green close in multiple games this year when the offense has crumbled.

Not only has the Jets’ defense proven its worth already this year, but the unit has a bright future moving forward as well.

Rookies Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye have emerged as an impactful duo in the secondary, and Adams, specifically, has already displayed leadership qualities that will make him vital to the Jets’ success moving forward.

In terms of linebackers, Demario Davis, who leads the team in tackles and sacks, has emerged as one of the best in the NFL, while youngster Darron Lee has played strong as well. In addition, despite having a bit of a down year, defensive lineman Leonard Williams also has a ton of upside moving forward.

And that’s just highlighting a few of the defense’s prominent players.

On the offensive side of the ball, however, things get a bit murky.

Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse have played incredibly well while growing to be a dynamic wide receiver duo. Tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins has also shown positive signs, but he’s been a bit inconsistent as of late.

In the backfield, Matt Forte has struggled a bit, but both Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire have performed when given the chance to, which should give the Jets’ front office hope moving forward. The real problems regarding the Jets’ offense lie within the offensive line and the quarterback position.

Simply put, the Jets’ offensive line has struggled immensely during the 2017 season. Throughout the last decade, the team was fortunate enough to have highly skilled lineman like Nick Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson, who both provided stability to the line.

Since Ferguson’s retirement after the 2015 season, however, the Jets have not been able to regain that type of force on their offensive line, and it’s shown this season. Currently, the Jets offensive line is ranked 24th out of 32 teams according to NFL.com. The group has allowed 43 sacks while letting the QB be hit 91 times.

Without a strong presence up front, it’s incredibly difficult for a quarterback to succeed, but it’s also quite difficult to establish a running game. As far as the QB situation goes, the Jets have quite a problem on their hands there as well.